Blustery winds caused scattered power outages and airport delays yesterday, as utility crews worked to restore service and keep regional trains running on time.

Winds gusting to more than 40 miles an hour were strongest around midday, according to forecasters from the National Weather Service. At their peak, gusts measured up to 46 miles an hour in Central Park and 48 miles an hour at La Guardia Airport.

But by late afternoon, forecasters said the high winds were dying down. “The low pressure that’s causing the windy conditions is moving away, so we are seeing winds diminish a little bit,” a spokesman for the National Weather Service, Joe Pollina, said.

However, earlier wind conditions wreaked havoc on parts of the city. The wind may have made it harder for more than 200 firefighters to put out a blaze that started at 4 a.m. in the Bronx, a spokesman for the Fire Department said. By the time the flames were under control at 6:50 a.m., the fire had spread to four other structures, he said.

Wind also damaged overhead lines, causing power outages in scattered sections of the city, Consolidated Edison reported. At the peak of outages around midday yesterday, some 1,900 customers in the Bronx and Westchester County were without power, a Consolidated Edison spokeswoman, Elizabeth Clark. She said 81 customers in Brooklyn had no power.

By late afternoon, the utility had restored power to many customers, Ms. Clark said. As of 5 p.m. yesterday, only 15 Bronx customers and a handful of customers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island were without power. In Westchester County, 320 customers were waiting for service restoration.

Air traffic was still delayed by early evening, however, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. By 5 p.m., arriving flights were delayed between an hour and two hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia.

Train and highway travel was largely uninterrupted. New Jersey Transit reported minor delays on its Midtown Direct service because of a fallen tree around 1 p.m. Amtrak trains throughout the Northeast were running up to 90 minutes late. On the Tappan Zee Bridge, a sign told drivers to reduce their maximum speed to 45 miles an hour from 55 because of wind.

In the city, blustery wind loosened some traffic signs and sent leaves flying about, as pedestrians clung to their hats.

A street vendor standing at the corner of Broadway and Barclay Street in Lower Manhattan scurried after knit hats and fleece gloves that blew off his table. But yesterday was less windy than the day before, Mamadou Diallo said. Asked how many times he chased after merchandise on Saturday, Mr. Diallo said: “I can’t count. Many, many times.”